The use of modular connectors, i.e., plugs and jacks, in data communications applications, such as communication cards, has become common. Since the structure and dimensions of modular connectors have become standardized and since the mating and disengagement of modular plugs and modular jacks are simple and familiar to most individuals, the use of modular connectors is especially suited to data communication applications where interchangeability or detachability of components is desirable.
In view of the ever-decreasing size of computer equipment, and in particular the thickness of a slot in a laptop computer receivable of a PCMCIA Type III communication card (about 10.5 mm), a need has arisen to provide a modular jack of the RJ type with a maximum height of about 10.5 mm, which is less than the height of conventional modular jacks of the RJ type (about 11.5 mm), while meeting or exceeding FCC requirements. A significant problem with reducing the size of modular jacks of the RJ-type to this height has been the inability to fit a contact/terminal member (an electrical contact having a contact portion extending into the plug-receiving receptacle of the jack and a terminal portion adapted to be connected to a substrate on which the jack is mounted, such as a printed circuit board) in a jack housing having this size and achieve normal contact forces while complying with FCC requirements.
Nevertheless, in the prior art, this problem has been circumvented to a certain extent by modifying the construction of the communication card or providing an attachment for the communication card in order to enable the communications card to define a receptacle receivable of an RJ-type plug. Indeed, in the prior art, there are at least five different constructions of electrical connectors for communication cards which mate with RJ-type electrical connectors.
A first type of prior art connector is designed as a retractable or extendible jack connector having a recess receivable of an RJ-xx series plug and which extends outward from the communication card to a position outside of the card slot of the computer when the card is installed therein (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,210). These connectors slidably extend from the card and define the recess receivable of the RJ-xx series plug which is oriented such that the direction which the plug travels when being inserted into the recess is parallel or perpendicular to the upper and lower surfaces of the card or at an angle thereto.
A second type of prior art connector is an arrangement having a specialized female and male component designed with a height which is smaller than the height of the communication card, e.g., 10.5 mm for the PCMCIA Type III card. For example, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,601, the card has a specialized two pin connector, the female portion of which is unitary with the card and the male portion of which is connected to one end of a cable. The other end of the cable has an RJ-type plug for connection to a telephone line. One obvious drawback of such an arrangement is the connector on the card itself is not receivable of standard RJ-xx series plugs.
A third type of prior art connector is an arrangement in which the communication card has a unitary jack connector which defines a recess receivable of an RJ-xx series plug. The recess opens onto one of the major surfaces of the card and is oriented such that the direction which the plug travels when being inserted into the recess is at an angle to the upper surface of the card. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,210 describes a card having a recess opening onto the upper surface of the card and oriented at an angle to the upper surface (FIG. 14). The housing of the computer includes an access tunnel above the card slot to enable the plug to be inserted into the recess. The use of such a connector requires modification of the computer housing.
A fourth type of prior art connector is an arrangement in which the communication card has a unitary jack connector in a jack portion of the card which is situated outside of the card slot, i.e., exterior of the computer housing, during use. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,547,401 describes a communication card having an integrated connector having an RJ-11 receptacle (FIGS. 8 and 9). The integrated connector has a thickness greater than the thickness of the card.
Additional types of prior art connectors are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,773,332 (Glad) which describes several approaches to constructing a specific communication card including an RJ type jack receivable of an RJ-xx series plug, i.e., a PCMCIA Type III card having a thickness less than 10.5 mm. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1-20, the PCMCIA Type III card is constructed to receive the RJ-xx series plug in a direction substantially perpendicular to the upper and lower surfaces of the card either in a receptacle module separable from the card (e.g., FIGS. 1-3, 12, 13) or in a receptacle module which is housed within the card and extendible therefrom when in use (e.g., FIGS. 4-11)). On the other hand, FIG. 21 shows a PCMCIA Type III card having a unitary jack connector defining a recess structured to receive a mating RJ-xx series plug in a direction substantially parallel to upper and lower surfaces of the card. The particular construction of the contact/terminal members in the jack are not disclosed.